Shoe plate tool



. No 12, 1935. B 3 WE T 2,020,389

.SHOE PLATE TOOL Filed Dec. 50, 1931 .Patented Nov. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '5 Claims.

This invention relates to a tool for use in applying shoe plates to the soles and heels of shoes. The tool is especially intended for use in driving plates of the kind made of sheet metal.

With plates of this class, difiiculties are frequently experienced in applying the plates, especially the smaller sizes which are necessarily made of relatively light gauge metal, particularly if the leather or other material into which the plates are driven is hard and dry. When the plates are driven by direct contact with a hammer, the hammer blows sometimes deform the plates, depressing the body portion throughout the area between the prongs.

to Wear away at the prongs and come ofi prematurely. Furthermore, it is very inconvenient to hold the smaller plates in place with the thumb and fingers while administering the hammer blows in the initial driving of the plate, the task being tedious and time consuming at the best. Also, under prevailing methods, it is practically impossible to drive the plates without bending the prongs unless awl holes are first made.

It is the object of this invention to provide a substantial and durable tool that is especially convenient of use and to which a plate may be applied and held thereby in position for driving;

that will distribute the force of the hammer blows evenly to all the prongs; that will prevent deformation of the body portion of the plate, and that will sustain the prongs against bending while being driven into the material of the sole or heel.

A further object of the invention is to provide means in a tool of this nature for yieldingly holding a plate to the tool preparatory to driving the plate, and which means does not interfere with the driving, nor obstruct the space beneath the body of the plate to the end that said body may be driven squarely and firmly against the surface of the sole or heel.

A further object comprehended by the invention is the incorporation, in a tool of this kind, of a gauge for properly locating the plate with respect to the edge of the sole or heel.

Objects and advantages additional to those above enumerated will appear as I proceed to describe the invention in detail by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 1 is a similar view of the plate for use with which the tool of Fig. 1 is designed; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the lower portion of the tool of Fig. 1, this and the remain- This condition greatly impairs the service or life of the plates, causing them ing views being on a scale considerably larger than that of the former views; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of a modified form of the tool; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the tool 5 shown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail 'of a further modification of the invention.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs.

1, 2 and 3, 1 is a driving head that is connected by a shank 2 with a handle 3. As shown, the 10 partsl, 2 and 3 are integral portions of a single unit that is adapted to be produced practically complete and relativelycheaply on a screw machine. Surrounding the driving head I is a shell or sleeve 5 that has a comparatively easy sliding l5 fit on said head. j The withdrawal of the sleeve from the head is prevented by stops 6 that are adapted to engage the upper end of the head, and the movement of the sleeve in the opposite direction is arrested by a collar 1 that surrounds 20 the shank 2. The plate A, shown in perspective in Fig. I has a crowned body portion, and the I face of the driving head is recessed, as shown at 8, to accommodate the body portion of the plate.

In the use of the tool, the sleeve or shell 5 is 25 projected slightly beyond the plane of the recessed ace of the driving head, and the plate, held by one of the prongs a, is inserted into the shallow cavity and then the sleeve or shell is fully projected to increase the depth of the cavity to that 30 of the plate. A spring Ill is employed for holding the plate within the cavity of the tool preparatory to driving the plate, said spring acting to urge the plate in a direction to engage it with the opposed wall of the shell or sleeve thereby 35 to lightly clamp the plate between said wall and the spring. The spring is connected to the shell or sleeve adjacent the inner end of the latter by a rivet H; and the head i is grooved at l2 to accommodate the spring.

With the plate inserted within the cavity of the tool and the tool, held by either the handle, or the shell or sleeve, the plate may be shifted by means of the tool to its proper position upon the sole or heel and driven by administering ham- 45 mer blows to the upper end of the handle 3. The shell or sleeve 5 confines the prongs of the plate against bending, and the head I distributes the force of the hammer blows evenly to all prongs. As the prongs of the plate enter the material of the sole or heel and the body of the plate approaches the surface thereof, the spring l0 yields laterally so as not in any way to interfere with the driving operation.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, a driving head 15 is shown as formed with a relatively long stem l6 that is reduced in diameter throughout a part of its length to produce a neck I1. Surrounding the head I5 is a shell or sleeve l8 having an extension l9 that fits about the stem I6 and is contracted at its upper end, as shown at 2D, to embrace the neck l1. Like the first described form of the invention, the present modification incorporates a spring H] that is connected by a rivet l i to the shell. In this case a lug projects laterally and thence forwardly from the outer end of the shell to provide a gauge 2| that is adapted to contact with the edge of the sole or heel for properly spacing the plate from said edge. This feature is of value especially in tools for applying plates that are intended to have a definite relation to the edge of the sole or heel, such as those of the shape indicated in the bottom plan view of the present tool shown in Fig. 5. In a plate of this design, the curved edge is intended to be located contiguous to the edge of the sole or heel. The plate in Figs. 4 and 5 is designated A.

In the use of the present tool, it is grasped by the sleeve extension l9 and this enables the user to bear firmly down upon the sleeve of shell, pressing it against the sole or heel with sufficient force to insure the plate being held in position while the hammer blows are administered to the upper end of the stem l6.

As an alternative means of attaching the plate to the tool, the driving head may be magnetized, proper materials being selected in the making of the tool to best adapt the head to such treatment and preserve the magnetism thereof for the maximum length of time. Such a modification is i1- lustrated in Fig. 6.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A shoe plate tool comprising a driving head, a handle extending from one end of the head, a sleeve surrounding the head and slidable with respect thereto, means on the sleeve for engagement with the head to limit the movement of the .sleeve in one direction, an abutment on the handle for limiting the movement of the sleeve in the opposite direction, and a spring connected to the sleeve for engagement with a plate for holding the latter within the end of the sleeve when the sleeve is projected beyond the face of the driving head, the driving head having a groove for the accommodation of said spring.

2. A tool for driving shoe plates whose sides converge in one direction and which are provided with slender prongs depending from their edges said tool comprising a driving member having one end that, in cross section, conforms in size and shape substantially to the face of a plate and to which end a plate is adapted. to be applied, a

sleeve of corresponding shape slidably fitting said member and arranged to be projected beyond said end of the member for holding the plate in position and for confining the prongs against outward deflection during the driving of the plate, and means urging the plate in the direction of convergence of the side walls of the sleeve.

3. A tool for driving shoe plates whose sides converge in one direction and which-are provided with slender prongs depending from their edges, said tool comprising a driving member having one end that, in cross section, conforms in size and shape substantially to the face of a plate and to which end a plate is adapted to be applied, a sleeve of corresponding shape slidably fitting thereon and adapted to be projected beyond the plate engaging end of said member, and a spring carried by the sleeve for engaging and holding a plate within the projected end of the sleeve by urging it in the direction of convergence of the side walls of the sleeve.

4. A shoe plate tool comprising a driving head, a handle extending from one end of the head, a sleeve surrounding the head and slidable with respect thereto and verge in one direction, means on the sleeve for engagement with the head to limit the movement of the sleeve in one direction, the handle having an enlarged portion opposed to the inner end of the head for limiting the movement of the sleeve in the opposite direction, and a spring for engagement with a plate for holding the latter within the end of the sleeve when the sleeve is projected beyond the face of the driving head by urging the plate in the direction of convergence of the side walls of the sleeve.

5. A tool for driving shoe plates of the style having slender prongs depending from the edges of a relatively thin body portion, said tool comprising a driving member having a head at one end that, in cross section, conforms in size and shape substantially to the wearing area of said body portion and to the outer end of which a plate is adapted to be applied, a sleeve slidably fitted upon the head and adapted to be projected beyond the outer end thereof a distance equal to the depth of a plate, the sleeve having a stop for engagement with the inner end of the head to limit outward movement of the sleeve the driving member having an enlarged portion opposed to the inner end of the head and spaced therefrom a distance equal to the length of the prongs of the plate, said enlarged portion serving as a stop for the sleeve, and means acting solely on the body portion of a plate for holding a plate with in the projected end of said sleeve and leaving unobstructed the space beneath said body portion.

BRENNAN B. WEST.

the side walls of which con- 25 

